


Great Things Are Done

by Sketchyfletch



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 07:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4212747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sketchyfletch/pseuds/Sketchyfletch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merrill decides to come to Skyhold to offer her services as a Dalish advisor. She's not the first to do so. Basically the Inquisition story as it would be if a lot of characters from the previous games showed up and got meshed in with everything else. Will involve multiple romances and some original story arcs within the main game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Great Things Are Done

**Author's Note:**

> This started with me being annoyed at the fact that for DAI, the only two 'Dalish advisors' consisted of an immortal who thinks the Dalish got everything wrong and a human woman who never actually spent that much time with clans. So I decided to fix that. And then bring in a bunch of other people. Expect to see most of the companions of the games so far pop up at some point. Usual disclaimer of 'I'm not making money of out this' applies.

_‘Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.’ – Vincent Van Gogh_

The guide was human. And Orlesian. And judging by the small Sword of Mercy hanging around his neck, possibly an ex-templar. And yet, from the moment Merrill had introduced herself to him, he had been nothing but courteous.

The call for Dalish advisors must have been issued weeks ago and it wouldn’t be beyond imagining that the Inquisition already had all they needed, but when Merrill had been told of it she felt the same pull that she’d experienced when she first saw Hawke. Destiny tugged but it didn’t tell her whether she was welcome to make her own way up the winding steps to the gigantic fortress above the refugee camp, and she’d asked help from the first person wearing a uniform who passed her by.

The man had bowed, introduced himself as Henri, and offered to escort her up to Skyhold personally. The walk up was long but clearly the human was used to it, as he barely seemed out of breath even though he chattered amiably most of the way up.

“You’re not the first Dalish we’ve had around here,” he answered, when she finally worked up the courage to ask why he treated her so much better than she was accustomed to from his kind. “And the Inquisitor’s pretty strict on everybody been treated equally.”

“Is the Inquisitor scary?” Merrill played with images – a woman, not looking unlike Aveline but built even taller and with a spiked staff propped on one shoulder, gallons of fiery hair flowing over thickly pauldron-clad shoulders, glowering fiercely down at the subjects she had accumulated and looking like she could crush Corypheus with a single gauntleted hand. Henri chuckled.

“Well, what she can _do_ is scary. I’m glad I never had to deal with a mage like her when I was a templar.” Merrill saw him note the staff tied to her back, but he didn’t comment on it. “But in herself, no. Inquisitor Nicolette is one of the gentlest people you could hope to meet, although she does have her moments.”

That was a relief, although Merrill hoped she wouldn’t cause this Inquisitor to have one of her ‘moments’.

She was also curious about what it was that the Inquisitor could do that was beyond the abilities of a usual mage, but by that point they had reached the archway leading into the courtyard of Skyhold. Merrill felt as winded as she had been the first time she climbed Sundermount, and Henri kindly waited for her to catch her breath before walking across the yard.

Somehow, Skyhold felt busier even than Kirkwall. People of every race bustled about looking very busy, drawn together with one purpose. A gigantic qunari was facing off against a dwarf who was taking full advantage of her access to her opponent’s knees, and a trainer at the side bellowed on encouragement. Inquisition agents scuttled around laden down with papers and weapons. A blond human in a giant red ruff and the eye of the Inquistion emblazoned on his chest was leading a large group in a series of combat forms. In one corner, a group of mages were sitting in a patch of weak sunshine and picking through a pile of scrolls.

Henri looked not a little proud as Merrill took it all in. “Amazing, yes? This place was so desolate when we found it.”

“It’s incredible.” Merill couldn’t help the excitement in her voice; she’d never seen anything like this, with so many people mixed together so freely. “It must have taken so much work to put this all together.”

“It was. Lady Montilyet – she is our ambassador – did incredible things to bring everything we needed here, and now people come to the Inquisition’s doorstep wishing to be involved.” He gave her a playful grin that reminded her, with a wistful jolt, of Varric. “It is a marvel.”

He looked up towards yet another flight of steps. “You chose a good time to arrive. The Inquistor will be receiving visitors at the moment.”

He gestured for her to follow him and she trailed behind, not for the first time that day feeling somewhat overwhelmed. The Inquisition was big and getting bigger. Apparently its influence had even reached Par Vollen. She was suddenly unsure what use she could be to it.

The entrance hall was as huge as anything else in Skyhold, and ahead of them was a line of petitioners and other people who wanted to see the Inquisitor. It would be a few minutes before it could be Merrill’s turn, so she took the opportunity to study the woman who currently wielded almost as much influence as one of the Divines.

Inquisitor Nicolette was nothing like Merrill had imagined. True, she was clearly a tall woman, but she was dressed in silken wrappings of bright blue and gold instead of the battlemaster mail Merrill had pictured. Long black hair was pulled into a neat plait that flowed over one shoulder, and her skin and eyes reminded Merrill of Isabela. Gold jewellery was draped around her throat and wrists. Currently, she was smiling softly at the petitioner standing before her throne. She looked like a benevolent monarch looking favourably upon a subject.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Merrill turned her head at Henri’s whisper. He looked a lot younger suddenly, as a dopey smile lifted his mouth. Despite his mature appearance in his armour, he couldn’t have been older than twenty. Likely he had not taken his vows long before Haven had erupted. “Lots of people don’t expect that.”

Merrill stifled a giggle behind her fingers; no wonder that Henri looked so favourably on his leader. She wondered how many other people the Inquisitor had following her who wore the same look.

The man managed to shake himself out of it and went over to whisper to a woman standing by the throne. Merrill decided she liked the puffs on that woman’s clothes. It made her look like a bird trying to keep itself warm and the colours were also very pretty. Henri was only gone a moment, and quickly came back. “I just went to outline your cause to her. That’s Josephine Montiliyet.”

Merrill nodded and thanked him, but then fell silent. What if the Inquisitor decided she didn’t like her for some reason? What if she had already found somebody? Merrill had made a long journey to be here and it would be horrible to have to go all the way back again. She wasn’t sure where the clan she had been helping would be now.

Picking over this worry occupied her brain for long enough that she was startled when the queue ahead of them cleared and the ambassador called her forward in a lilting Antivan accent. ‘Lady Merrill, Inquisitor. Formerly of Kirkwall, she is answering your summons for advisors on Dalish matters.’

The Inquisitor turned a warm golden gaze on her. “You are welcome, Lady Merrill.”

Merrill couldn’t help an awkward laugh. “I’m not a noblewoman, your…Inquisitor-ness?” _Creators._ “Just Merrill will be fine.”

Nicolette chuckled. “Very well, Merrill. Thank you for your offer of assistance.” She arranged a piece of fabric on her shoulder slightly. “I do already have an advisor, but you may join her. We need to go to the Emerald Graves soon and I would like as much knowledge as I can gain before I go there.”

Merrill opened her mouth to thank the Inquisitor, startled by how quickly she had been accepted, but was interrupted by a flash of red silk in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and started at the dwarf who gawked back at her.

“Daisy?”

All fears of being alone in this vast place with hundreds of strangers instantly left Merrill’s shoulders, and she threw dignity to the wind as she flung herself at him with a squeal. “Varric!”

Varric seized her in a fierce hug, swinging her around to the outburst of startled muttering from many of the people in the hall. “Daisy! It’s wonderful to see you!” He set her down and held onto her hand until she felt a little less giddy. “I thought you were helping out the clans?”

“I was.” Merrill beamed at him, hardly able to believe he was here. His face creased a little more with wrinkles than it used to as he beamed back at her, but it was still him, a solid source of comfort in an utterly strange place. “But I heard that the Inquistion wanted help on Dalish matters, and I thought I could do that. Maybe.”

“I take it you know each other.” Nicolette’s voice cut smoothly through the moment, sounding amused but carrying clearly enough to direct attention back to her. Varric grinned.

“Merrill and I were friends for years in Kirkwall. There’s no better person to speak to about the interests of the Dalish.” He was being generous, considering what trouble her interests had got her into during the latter days of their time in the Marches. But it didn’t hurt at all. Nicolette nodded.

“That is good to know. Perhaps you could find her a room, Varric? You can catch up on the way, and I will speak to you later.” She address this last to Merrill, who curtseyed to her out of a reflex that was completely confusing.

Merrill nodded, her heart almost in her mouth as Varric guided her out of the main room. In the hallway outside, he hugged her again, hard.

“Flames, but I’ve missed you, Daisy.” He clapped her on the shoulders. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again. Working for the Inquistion doesn’t seem to guarantee a long lifespan.”

“I missed you too Varric. Lots. I missed everyone.”

“Except possibly Fenris?” He gave her a sidelong look and she couldn’t help chuckling.

“I hope he’s doing well, but I don’t miss him calling me a witch. Do you know what the others are up to?”

As they walked, Varric filled her in. Isabela was now an admiral and apparently had a fleet of ships and an enormous hat, so she was clearly making up for the decade stuck in Kirkwall. Fenris and Anders were who knew where, although Varric had rumours that one had run north and the other was tracking slavers wherever they were to be found. Aveline was still keeping Kirkwall running and Bethany still gathering up little mages and teaching them wherever it was safe to do so. Sebastian was ruling Starkhaven.

“And…Hawke?” Merrill was almost afraid to ask. Aarushi had been run down by exhaustion and pain after they fled Kirkwall and hadn’t been in the best state when they all parted ways. She hadn’t heard anything of her in some time.

Varric rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hawke’s doing what Hawke does. She’s surviving.”

Which meant she probably still wasn’t doing well, but at least she was alive. Merrill nodded and tried not to look too worried.

Fortunately, a distraction came in the form of an elven woman wearing Grey Warden armour, of all things. Varric collided with her as they went around the corner and she pulled away, hissing like an angry cat. “Can’t you ever watch where you’re going, durgen’len?!”

“Perhaps it would be better if I wore a bell. You’ve run into me so often I could swear you were doing it on purpose.” As ever, Varric seemed unflappable and the blonde elf snorted before raising her eyes to Merrill’s. Both of them widened their eyes as they registered that they both wore vallaslin, and after a long moment, the other Dalish dipped her head. “Andaran atish’an.”

The Dalish words helped snuff the nervousness that Merrill had felt at the woman’s anger, and she responded in kind. “Andaran atish’an, friend. I am Merill.” Perhaps she should say more. “I’ve come to advise the Inquisition about the Dalish.”

This drew a thin smile from the other woman. “Well, it’s nice to know that not all Skyhold is shemlen, durgen’len and flat-ears. I’m here to do the same, so I guess we’ll be working together.” The woman rolled her shoulders, looking a little less stiff, and drew herself up. “My name is Velanna."


End file.
